Former England centre Luther Burrell has said his own team-mates called him a “n-----” and a “slave” in a tell-all interview with the Telegraph.
Burrell, who said he would never name names, revealed: “Things get said in jest without any thought. Every week, every fortnight. Comments about bananas when you’re making a smoothie in the morning. Comments about fried chicken when you’re out for dinner.
“I’ve heard things that you wouldn’t expect to hear 20 years ago. We had a hot day at training and I told one of the lads to put on their factor 50. Someone came back and said, ‘You don’t need it, Luth, put your carrot oil on’. Then another lad jumps in and says, ‘No, no, no, he’ll need it for where his shackles were as a slave’.
“Excuse my language but, what the f---? Where does that come from? Some players shake their head and others laugh along with it.
“People greet you as, ‘What’s up my n-----?’ It’s not meant in a bad way but when is it going to change? It’s a very, very raw subject. Over the past few years, it’s happened a lot. That’s the environment.
“It’s normalised because I allowed it to become normalised. I’d laugh it off. I’ve been a coward by not speaking up. Over the years, I’ve become thicker skinned. You know how long I’ve thought about talking about this. I will never name names but it’s gone on for too long.”
5 rugby stars who underwent amazing body transformations
1. Jonathan Davies
Less Guinness and more hard work has seen the former Wales star transform himself during lockdown. He looks incredible!
2.Matt Dunning
When he was a prop for the Wallabies Matt Dunning weighed 130kg and was constantly mocked for his tubby frame. But since retiring from rugby union the 35-year-old has lost a staggering 40kg, dropping from 25 per cent body fat to just 11 per cent in six months.
#3. Sam Warburton
The former Wales flanker worked his arse off to become one of the best players in the world with a body to match. He's now set up the
, which is an online training program that he's created in collaboration with his long-term training partner, Josh Davies. With more than 30 years of elite-level training experience between them, they know what’s required to maximise athletic performance.
#4.Luther Burrell
The centre missed out on Eddie Jones’ first squad for the Six Nations Grand Slam triumph in 2016 with the Aussie labelling him “grossly overweight”.
He revealed his incredible body transformation online yesterday saying in the caption…
‘Putting a picture up like this for me was very challenging and potentially very embarrassing. It can sometimes put you in a vulnerable position…. So I seriously can’t thank everyone enough for contacting me, showing interest in my continued journey and also being kind I’m still smashing through messages, so please bare with me if I haven’t yet got back to you. •’
#5. David Pocock
The Wallabies legend started out as an skinny 78kg teen who worked day in and day out to transform himself, with his size and strength came at a cost, Pocock told Australian Story.